Soon after the panel appeared, Aric watched as the room suddenly filled with similar blue screens, more than he had ever seen before. They materialized all around him, painting his entire vision in a glaring blue.
"What is... this?" Aric muttered slowly, pushing his chair back and turning his body slightly to look at the other screens behind him.
Each one had different information displayed, and without thinking much, Aric turned to the closest one to read.
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Masir Genult \ Human
{Current value: 7}
- Financial advisor to the Lord of Heidz
Accessibility: Medium
Influence: - (You do not have any influence on this)
Expand/?
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"Who the hell is that?" Aric glanced over the screen, moving to read another.
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The Stretch of Miredis \ Place
{Current value: 86}
- Long stretch of land between Byzeth and the northern river, the only trade path between it and other kingdoms.
Accessibility: Medium
Influence: -
Expand/?
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Aric's eyes moved from panel to panel, glancing over them one after another. Slowly, he realized what it was—he had the entirety of the Byzeth Kingdom laid bare before him. Routes, places, people... anything that had even the slightest influence on the kingdom was shown.
The panels revealed what they were, their value to his quest, how easy they were to access, and even his current influence on them, with an option to expand on the information.
"Guide…" Aric eventually called out. Although he had a slight idea of what he was looking at, he couldn't fully understand it without her help.
She materialized close to him with a flutter of her wings. Without prompting, she immediately began explaining as though knowing why she had been called.
"The conquest feature is integrated into the system to aid the user in the acquisition of suzerainty over a state or governed entity. The user will be given details on all parts of the state's authority, and how the actions you take affect this authority and strengthen your own. Quests, among other aids, will further assist you in toppling the state and assuming leadership."
The guide shed light on what Aric had already suspected. The prince sat back, gazing at the floating screens around him. Although the guide told him that most of the system's functions were yet to be explored, he was still surprised each time a new, boundlessly useful feature like this was revealed.
[You have received a sub-quest.]
[S-Quest: Taking the Stretch]
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Increase influence in the Stretch of Miredis to 40%.
- The Stretch of Miredis is the main trade route used by the kingdom and the only possible route for trade with the Northrend Empire. Increasing influence will allow for the inflow of necessary information and give you the ability to make important decisions regarding Byzeth's main staple: trade.
Reward: Party feature upgrade.
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Aric had already devised an approach to overthrow Byzeth, and though he briefly worried that the system quest might contradict his plans, he concluded it was unlikely. This current quest was well within his plans, and he had already mapped out how to achieve it.
Aric stood from the chair, the wood creaking as he did.
He swiped his hand across the air, and with that motion, all the blue screens vanished. He took a deep breath, and then another, before exiting the study.
As Aric walked through the halls of the house, he was haunted by a striking nostalgia that brought memories of an eventual calamity. Each part of the house seemed to echo with the laughter of the squad he had led.
He remembered their slaughter quite vividly... especially that of the old man.
Aric shook his head in a mostly ineffective attempt to dispel the thoughts that plagued his mind. He walked up the stairs and eventually through another hallway. Although the house was far from as large as his estate manor, it was quite sizable.
Aric reached a door, stopping as he gripped the handle and pushed it open.
The wooden door swung, revealing Serina, who was in the middle of putting on a night dress. Her breasts were left bare, her hands covering them in a failing attempt at modesty.
"My apologies, I should have knocked. My mind was a bit occupied," Aric broke the silence. He wasn't flustered or awkward, and his voice remained calm and monotone as always.
"It's fine. I did tell you to come at around this time," Serina replied, also seemingly unfazed by the situation. She slowly dropped one hand, revealing herself to raise the dress, slipping her hands through the strings as she fully donned the nightgown. "Please, come in," she added.
Aric walked in, looking around the room, reminiscing as he smelled the familiar lingering scent of the home, now mixed with Serina's.
The mage's hair was wet, hinting she had just taken a bath. Aric watched as she pulled her dark hair up, and with a deft flick of her wrist, she swiftly tied it atop her head, messily.
"You may sit on the bed, your highness," Serina offered, gesturing towards the queen-size bed in the middle of the room.
"Oh... what are you planning, Miss Marceli?" Aric teased, leaning over to the bed and sitting on its edge.
"Your highness has jokes, I see," Serina smiled, moving to the side as she climbed atop the bed and positioned herself behind Aric.
"I'm quite funny from time to time," Aric clicked his teeth as Serina raised her hand just above the back of his neck, her hand glowing with a green light.
"How long will we have to do this until I'm completely healed?" Aric asked.
"I'm not certain. The current process is slow… this illness seems like some kind of extremely strong virus. Honestly, the fact that you've survived it this long is a surprise. I'm able to gather and eliminate it, but not in considerable amounts. But I'm close to advancing to the next circle, and the process will be a hundred times faster then."
Aric sighed. Although he wished for an immediate recovery, he was more than grateful to even have a chance.
"Thank you," Aric whispered.
And though he didn't see it, Serina smiled at his appreciation.
"You said the old man was your old friend, but he didn't seem to know you," Serina commented, chainging the conversation.
"I guess he forgot."
"We're lucky he's a nice old man and let us stay," she remarked.
"Not at all," Aric laughed. "He's a murderous, lying, cunning old bastard whose entire life is treason to the kingdom and empire... but that's why he's important to us."